Jealousy
by JDP
Summary: Ash is back from the battle frontier, and Misty goes to visit him before he heads out to Sinnoh, only to find May there as well...


Foreword

bJealousy/b

Misty was on her way to Pallet Town, riding her new bike that Ash had given her about a year ago. That's when they first went their separate ways after Ash finished his journey in Johto, because she had to become the gym leader again.

She really hated being the gym leader. It was nice and all, being a gym leader meant you got some respect from other trainers, as well as facing some tough trainers who wanted their badges, but it wasn't fun. Not as fun as travelling with Ash.

Well, now Ash was back! He had competed in the Hoenn League as well as the Battle Frontier, and had come home for a short break. Misty had come to his house when he came back briefly after the Hoenn League, but she hadn't seen him since. She was happy to see him again. Estatic even! Deep down inside, she had feelings for Ash, but she almost never showed it. She wanted to tell him how she feels, but she was afraid of what he thinks of her. She knew they were friends, best friends even, but to her, that's all she was to Ash. A friend...

She rode her bike down the street, passing by Professor Oak's lab. She didn't see the professor outside, so she figured he must be at Ash's house to welcome him back. She saw Ash's house, just beyond Professor Oak's lab, and stopped right in front of the house. She put the kickstand down on her bike, and walked up to the front door and knocked.

She was wearing a different outfit than when she had travelled with Ash. Instead of the jean shorts, overalls, and yellow shorts, now she wore yellow shorts and a red shirt with a yellow button shirt over that that only went over her torso. She had grown out of her old clothes, plus they were dirty and torn from all her adventures with Ash. She still had her knapsack with her though, which she carried with her.

The door opened, and Professor Oak answered the door.

"Oh, hello Misty!" he said with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"Hi Professor Oak. I heard Ash was returning from the Battle Frontier today, and I wanted to stop by and say hi."

"Of course! Come on in. Ash just got here fifteen minutes ago. I bet he just can't wait to see you."

"Thanks," Misty said, walking into the house. As she entered the living room, she saw Ash and Pikachu sitting on the couch talking to Professor Oak. Pikachu was the first to notice her.

"Pika pika!" he exclaimed, waving to her and jumping up onto the couch.

"Oh, hey Misty!" Ash said, turning towards her and waving to her.

"Hi Ash." she replied with a laugh as Pikachu jumped into her arms, happy to see her again. "Hiya Pikachu!" she said as she pet the electric pokemon. "So, how have you been Ash?"

"Just great!" Ash said. "Just won the entire Battle Frontier! They even offered to make me a Frontier Brain! But I turned it down."

"That's great!" Misty said, letting Pikachu back onto the ground. "But why'd you turn down their offer? Sounds to me like they really liked your battling skills."

"Yeah, but I didn't want to be stuck in one place all the time. That's no fun. There's a whole world out there I still haven't seen yet. New pokemon to see and everything!"

iI know the feeling.../i "Well, I'm glad to see you back Ash." She looked around the room, as if searching for something. "Did Brock come here too?"

"Nope. He had to go back to Pewter City. Check up on his gym."

"Didn't someone else travel with you?" Misty asked, trying to remember who they were. As she was thinking of them, she saw the very person she was thinking of come in from the backyard.

"Wow, that's such a beautiful garden, Mrs. Ketchum!" the girl said. She was wearing a red bandana over her brown hair, and was wearing a red outfit to match it, with black and white shorts that matched the gloves she wore. The girl then noticed her and said, "Oh, hey Misty!"

Misty was a bit embarrassed that this girl knew what her name was, but she didn't know hers. She fumbled with the name in her mind, but Ash said it for her.

"Hey May, Misty's here!"

"I can see that," May said with a giggle. "Long time no see, Misty."

"It's good to see you May," Misty said. Even as she said that, she subconsciously didn't mean it. She was kind of hoping that it would just be her and Ash, and she couldn't help but notice that May was a very attractive girl... "Didn't you have a little brother with you?"

"Yeah, Max. He had to go home. Mom was getting worried about him."

"I know the feeling," Ash's mom said from the kitchen. "I always worry about Ash when he's out on those journeys."

"But I always turn out being okay," Ash said. "Right guys?"

The girls nodded in agreement. Both of them knew that even when Ash gets in trouble, he always gets out of it.

"Don't worry Deliah," Professor Oak said to Ash's mom. "You and I both know your son can handle anything that he comes across."

"Yes, that's true," Deliah nodded. "So, you guys hungry? I made lunch."

"You know it!" Ash said, standing up.

Misty smiled. "Some things never change, do they Ash?" she teased him.

"Hey, I'm hungry!" Ash said with a chuckle before heading into the kitchen.

"That was delicious, Mrs. Ketchum!" Misty said, wiping her mouth with a napkin, having just finished her lunch.

"Thanks Misty," Ash's mother said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Ash was still gorging down his meal, shoving it into his mouth at a rapid pace. "Yeah, great food mom," he said inbetween bites. Finishing his portions, he swallowed what was in his mouth and then said, "Delicious! More please!" He held out his bowl to his mother.

"Oh Ash," Misty said with a sigh, shaking her head. "Don't be a pig..."

"Yeah Ash," May agreed. "That's your third helping! Keep eating like that, you'll be as big as a Snorlax."

Ash chuckled. "I guess you're right," he said. "I can go without any more food for a while." He set the bowl down, leaned back in his chair, and stretched his arms. "I haven't eaten like that in a long time!"

"Oh Ash," Professor Oak said, standing up. "Aren't you going to come see the rest of your pokemon?"

"Oh yeah," Ash said, standing up as well. "C'mon guys, let's go!"

Ash and the girls went next door with the professor, into the field in the back. Many different types of pokemon were out in the open, several of which Ash recognized as his pokemon.

"Hey guys!" he said as he approached them. At the sound of his voice, many of his pokemon looked over at him, and shouted joyfully, crowding around him. They were all happy to see their trainer again. Bayleef was a little too happy, and knocked Ash to the ground.

Ash laughed as all his pokemon piled on top of him. "I'm glad to see you too guys!"

Misty and May smiled and watched as Ash was reunited with all his pokemon. Misty recognized many of them: Bulbasaur, Totodile, Cyndaquil, Bayleef, and several others. Then she remembered something.

Turning to the professor, she asked, "Where's Tracy?"

"He had to go home for a while. It's his mother's birthday, and he didn't want to miss it," Professor Oak responded, and looked back at Ash and his pokemon. "Well, all of his pokemon seem to be happy. I've got some work to do back in the lab, so I'll be there if anyone needs me."

"Okay," May said as he walked away. She returned her attention to Ash, who was greeting all of his pokemon.

Misty watched Ash as well, but she couldn't help having her mind drift back to her feelings for Ash. And she glanced at May out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't help but ponder about what kind of relationship Ash and May have...

"So," she started to ask, her voice clearly showing signs of nervousness. "How have you been, travveling with Ash and all?" she asked May.

"Oh, they've been great," May replied. "I've had fun watching Ash battle, and I've also won lots of contests, and Ash was there cheering me on in the Grand Festival."

"Yeah, I think I saw you on TV one time," Misty said. Ash cheered her on? Well, that sounded like something Ash would do for anyone, but- Nah, she was just being paranoid.

"So what do you think of Ash?" she asked May.

May shrugged. "He's pretty stubborn and kind of acts before he thinks..." She paused for a moment, looking at Ash. "He is a good trainer though, from what I've seen. And he's kind of cute."

iCute? She thinks he's cute?/i

May looked back at Misty. "What about you? What do you think of Ash?"

Misty stood silent for a moment, frowned slightly, and blushed a little bit. She turned her head away from May for a brief moment, knowing that she was blushing.

May must have noticed because she giggled, and then asked, "You like Ash, don't you?"

Misty looked back at her, and her frown slowly turned into a slight smile. She nodded, still blushing. "Please don't tell anyone."

May nodded. "I understand. You have a secret crush on Ash, and you don't want him to know. I've felt the same way. About a coordinator named Drew..." May was then silent for a moment, staring at Ash blankly. Misty looked at May for a moment, and then turned back to Ash.

All during the conversation, Ash was blissfully unaware of the conversation, as he was having too much fun with his pokemon. Pikachu was playing with all of the other pokemon as well.

"Hey, I should let all my other pokemon out too," he said, grabbing his pokeballs. "Come on out guys!" Throwing his pokeballs, the pokemon he had on his Battle Frontier journey came out, and all of Ash's pokemon greeted them as well.

"I'll let my pokemon out too!" May said, releasing her pokemon from their pokeballs as well.

Misty snapped out of her trancelike state, and said, "Me too! Come on out-"

As she was about to let her pokemon out, Psyduck appeared with a flash of light in front of her. She paused, and sighed. Ah well. She was going to let him out anyways. She then let all of her other pokemon out of the pokeballs, which greeted all the other pokemon. The multitude of pokemon were comingling with each other, and many of them started to play in the water, with the exception of Psyduck, of course.

"Hey, you wanna go swimming?" Ash asked the girls, noticing the pokemon playing in the water.

"Sure!" Both girls said. The three of them then headed back to Ash's house to change into their bathing suits.

"CANNONBALL!!"

The water erupted as Ash plummeted into the water from a tree near the water, curled up into the fetal position. The waves rippled across the lake, pushing some of the smaller pokemon back a bit. Ash came up to the surface, laughing.

"Bet you can't catch me!" he challenged his pokemon as he dove back into the water. Some of his pokemon went after him, mainly the water type pokemon, such as Totodile and Corphish, while some of the non-water pokemon, like Pikachu and Bayleef, still chased after him anyways.

Misty was the next one to come out of the house, wearing a red bikini, and she ran across the grass towards the lake. She jumped into the water, shouting happily. For once, she was swimming without being in that mermaid costume.

She chased after Ash, following the pokemon that went after him, and trying to catch him. Ash barely saw her at the last second, and moved out of the way before she could tag him. He swam towards the surface for a breath of air, and then started swimming again, so they couldn't catch him. He dove back underwater as Misty came up to the surface.

As she came up, she saw May coming towards the lake, wearing a red bikini just like Misty was. But to Misty, it seemed a little revealing... Even so, she was taken back by how attractive May was. It was kind of weird for her to think that, being a girl and all, but still, she looked pretty in that bathing suit.

She stared somewhat blankly at May and didn't snap out of it until she was splashed as May jumped into the water. She then went underwater to follow her. They followed Ash, who was now chasing Totodile, meaning the game had now switched over to everyone chasing Totodile. The two girls joined in the chase, and they were having a lot of fun.

All through the playing, Misty couldn't notice that May seemed to be showing off around Ash... In more ways than one.

It was nearly nighttime, and after a whole day of spending time outside, just having fun with all the pokemon, they had all gone back inside for another delicious meal(which they barely managed to keep Munchlax from eating). Misty and May were to spend the night at Ash's house, as it was too late for them to start heading back home. Of course, Mrs. Ketchum didn't mind.

Then Professor Oak had told Ash about a new series of gyms in a place called the Sinnoh Region. There was a ferry heading there in two days, and Ash got excited. He couldn't wait to go to a new place with all new kinds of pokemon and trainers to battle!

Misty, on the other hand, was disheartened. She went outside and sat on the steps in front of the house. Ash was leaving again? He wasn't going to stay for a little while longer? She sighed heavily. She wished she could go with Ash, but she still had to take care of her gym, and her sisters had insisted on her participating in more of their water ballet shows, which had already been planned in the future, so she couldn't leave.

For the first time in a long time, she had seen Ash again. For one day only. She really wanted to tell him how she felt about him, but to her, it seemed that Ash may be attracted to other girls.

Like May...

"Pika?"

Turning towards the voice, Misty saw Pikachu coming out the door.

"Oh, hi Pikachu." She noticed that the pokemon seemed to be concerned about her. She was sitting here all alone, so why shouldn't he be. "I just came out here to get some fresh air," she said.

Pikachu knew something else was going on. He placed a paw on her and said comfortly, "Pika..."

"I'm okay," she reassured the pokemon. She then stood up, and headed towards the door. "C'mon. Let's go back inside."

They went back inside, and Misty had made a decision. She was going to tell Ash how she felt tonight, before he left for the Sinnoh Region. If she didn't, she might never have another chance to tell him.

She headed into the living room, where she had left Ash and May a few moments earlier. But she was in for a surprise when she stepped into the room.

Sitting on the couch, their backs to her, was Ash and May. Even as she walked in, she saw May lean forward towards Ash, and then kiss him, and Ash didn't seem to react in any way. In fact, he even seemed to enjoy it!

Misty was just shocked. She didn't say a word, and just stared at the two of them blankly. It was a few moments before May pulled away from Ash, and she was smiling. Ash was blushing, and smiling slightly.

Before either of them had the chance to notice her arrival, she had already turned and left the room, heading to Ash's room.

She sat down on the bed, practically collasping, tears flowing from her eyes. She couldn't believe it! Ash liked May more than she liked her. She saw him smiling when he kissed her. She really thought Ash liked her...

And May... She had told her that she liked Ash, and even worse, May said she liked someone else, not Ash! And yet she goes ahead and kisses him! It's practically treason!

She sobbed as she wiped the tears from her eyes, seeing Pikachu coming into the room. He looked concerned, and seemed to have noticed her crying.

"Pika?" he asked, looking curiously at her. Spmething was obviously wrong.

"It's nothing," she lied to him. "Just leave me alone." She waved as if to dismiss him, and turned away from him.

Pikachu stood there for a little, looking at Misty, and then he turned and left.

It was the middle of the night, and two figures walked through the forests outside of Pallet Town. One of them seemed to be having trouble walking while the other was pulling that one along.

It was Misty who was pulling May through the forest, and May had her hands tied behind her back, and her bandana was wrapped over her mouth as a gag. Her feet were left unbound, but she couldn't run away as Misty was being forcible in moving her.

They were rather deep in the forest when they stopped, and Misty turned towards May, holding some rope in her hands. She pushed May down on the ground, releasing her grip, and then bent down to tie her feet together, ignoring May's shouts.

"This'll teach you to mess with Ash!" she said as she finished tying her legs together and then tying some rope above and below May's breasts. May grunted in pain. Misty was really tying those knots tight. Misty stood up and looked down at May, frowning. "I told you I liked Ash, and then you go and kiss him! That's one of the worst things you could have done."

Misty turned to walk away, and May shouted something, strugglign to get free. Where was she going? Was she just going to leave her here in the forest?

Apparently the answer was yes, as the orange haired girl didn't look back and kept walking away from her.

Ash woke up from the sunlight shining through his bedroom window. He sat up and yawned, stretching his arms out. He looked around, and saw that the room was empty, except for Pikachu lying next to him.

"Where'd everybody go?" he said to himself. Then Misty came into the room.

"Good morning Ash," she said with a smile.

"Morning Misty," Ash said. He looked around the room. "Where's May?"

"She had to go home early. Some sort of emergency."

"Hope everything's okay."

"I'm sure it is. Now come on, breakfast is ready."

Misty felt a little more relaxed now that she had gotten rid of May. Fortunately, she hadn't woken anyone up when she forcibly pulled May out of the house and took her into the forest. May hadn't fought back as much as she suspected, which made it easier. Leaving her tied up in the woods oughta teach her not to betray Misty!

The day went by pretty quickly, and around midafternoon, Ash decided he should get going if he wanted to catch the ferry the next morning. Like when he left for Hoenn, he left all of his pokemon behind except for Pikachu. Misty decided she'd accompany him to the ferry, and then head back after he left. Ash was glad to hear she was going to follow him, and they headed out. They travelled a good distance, making small talk about what each of them did when they were separated. Then, night settled in while they were in the forest, and they set up to sleep for the night. They'd make it to the ferry in the morning.

Getting into his sleeping bag, Ash yawned and said, "Good night Pikachu. Good night Misty. See you in the morning."

"Good night Ash," Misty said, getting into her own sleeping bag. "Sweet dreams." Lying down, she turned the other way from Ash, so her back was towards him.

She still hadn't told Ash how she felt. She was still too nervous. Even though she had gotten rid of the competition, what if Ash liked May and not her? If she asked him now, what would he say? She really didn't want to risk having him break her heart if he preferred May over her...

"I love you..." she said quietly, barely over a whisper. It just slipped out, but as soon as she realized that, Ash started talking.

"Did you say something Misty?"

Startled, Misty shot up, looked at him, and said nervously, "Me? No, nothing. I didn't say anything Ash." She was sure she was blushing, but Ash likely wouldn't notice in the dark. She laid back down into her sleeping bag, turning her back towards Ash. "Good night."

"Good night," Ash said again, and then he was quiet. Misty sighed. That was close. She tried to relax, and then, after what seemed a long while, she fell asleep.

Morning came almost immediately, it seemed, and Misty was the first to wake up. She sat up and looked at Ash and Pikachu, who were still sleeping. Then again, the sun was barely up over the horizon. She was still trying to make up her mind about whether to tell him or not. It was one of the reasons why she woke up so early, she was so nervous.

She decided that as soon as Ash woke up she was going to tell him. She sighed, stood up, and stretched, trying to release the tension she had.

As soon as she put her arms down, they were suddenly pinned to her sides. At the same time, something went over her open mouth, successfully gagging her. She was pulled into the air and into the forest, away from the clearing where they had slept.

She was placed on the ground, and she could clearly see, even in the relatively dim sunlight, that she was grabbed by a vine whip, which belonged to a Bulbasaur. She saw a person standing next to the grass pokemon, and recognized her immediately.

"So, you thought you'd kidnap me and leave me in the forest, huh?" May said, glaring at Misty. "It's a good thing some hiker came along and found me, or I'd probably never had gotten free."

Misty said something, but the vine whip that was inserted into her mouth make it unintelligible.

Seeing this, May said, "Bulbasaur, release her." Obeying, the vine whip unwrapped from around Misty, allowing her to speak and move. She then returned the grass pokemon to its pokeball. "Explain," May demanded, looking at Misty.

Misty nearly exploded with rage. "I told you that I liked Ash! You even said you'd keep it a secret! I saw you kiss him, yet you said you liked some other guy, a coordinator like yourself. Not Ash. You've got some explaining to do yourself!"

"It's not my fault," May said. "It's yours."

"What are you talking about?"

"When you told me that you liked Ash, it made me realize that I like Ash too."

"What?" Misty replied, confused. "Even so, that's no excuse for you to go and kiss him!"

May smiled slyly. "Ash sure seemed to like it."

Misty could no longer control herself. She pounced onto May, knocking both of them to the ground. The two of them were grappling with each other, shaking the bushes around them, shouting and just fighting with each other. May was mostly defending herself, but she fought back against Misty, who was all out attacking her.

The fighting woke up Pikachu back at the clearing, who immediately came over, and saw the two girls fighting. Surprised to even see these two fighting, he shouted, trying to get them to calm down. And when that didn't work, he decided to take extreme measures.

"PIKACHU!!" He zapped them with a thunderbolt, causing them to stop fighting immediately. Groaning in pain from the electric shock, they got up, brusied and battered from the fighting.

"Hey! What's going on here?" Ash shouted as he came into the forest. He had woken up from all the noise, and Pikachu's thunderbolt led him straight towards them. Seeing May, he asked, "I thought you had an emergency back at your home?"

"No I didn't!" May shouted, still a bit angry from the fighting and what had happened to her. "Misty tied me up and left me in the forest!"

"What? Misty, why'd you-"

"Ash, tell me this right now," Misty shouted, walking sternly towards him. "Who do you like better, me or May?"

Ash just stood there, silent and in shock. He had no idea what was going on here... "What are you talking about?"

"I saw the two of you kissing, and I want to know now! May or me?!" Misty stared at him, waiting for him to answer.

Ash looked nervous, glancing at both Misty and May. After a moment, he stuttered, "I-I... I don't know..."

"You have to know! Which of us do you like most?!"

"I don't know!" Ash shouted. "I like you both the same."

"That's a lie," Misty said.

"I told you I don't know!" Ash repeated, and then pushed past both Misty and May and walked away, hanging his head. He seemed almost depressed. "C'mon Pikachu..."

"Where are you going?" May asked him as Ash headed back to the clearing and gathered his things. He didn't answer. He merely motioned for Pikachu to come with him, and resumed his trip to where the ferry was.

After he had walked a little ways, May looked back at Misty. "Great going, Misty..."

"What'd I do?"

"You hurt his feelings! You shouldn't have made him decide between the two of us."

"I'm sorry!" Misty said. "I just wanted to know..."

"Well now you don't know." May sighed, and looked back in Ash's direction. "Even he doesn't know..."

The two of them were silent for a minute, just looking in Ash's direction. The wind was barely blowing in the morning sun.

Misty broke the silence. "I'm sorry... For what I did to you..." She frowned, and her eyes were watery. "It was...wrong..."

May looked back at Misty, partly glaring at her, but then she saw how geniune her apology was, and smiled slightly. "It's okay."

"No it isn't. I shouldn't have done what I did..." Misty looked away from May, ashamed.

May put her hand on Misty's shoulder and said, "I probably would have done the same thing."

Misty sobbed quietly, and then looked back at May, tears flowing down her cheek. "And now I've hurt Ash..."

"I'm sure he'll forgive you too." May extended her hand. "No hard feelings?"

Misty stared at her hand for a moment, then nodded and shook her hand.

Ash was at the dock, waiting for the ferry to begin boarding. It should begin boarding pretty soon. He was thinking about what Misty had asked him. He wasn't sure who he liked better... He was surprised when May kissed him. It was completely unexpected. He didn't even know she liked him! He actually kind of liked it...

And Misty... They'd been best friends for a long time. As long as he and Pikachu were friends. He felt like he had a closer bond with her, but right now... he wasn't sure.

"Ash!" a familiar voice cried. Turning around. he saw both of the girls coming towards him. He immediately looked the other way.

"Ash..." Misty said as she came up to him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he plainly said, although it wasn't true.

"I know I shouldn't have pressured you like that," she said. "I'm sorry."

Ash didn't say anything.

"Ash. There's something I want to tell you." She stammered for a moment, not sure on how to say it.

Ash turned around and asked, "What?"

"I...I love you."

As soon as she finished saying that, she leaned in and kissed him. It wasn't just a quick one, it was rather long, lasting for a few seconds. Then she pulled away, blushing.

"I've wanted to tell you for so long..."

Ash just stared at her for a bit, and then smiled. "I love you too Misty."

Misty's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked, her lips curling into a smile as well.

Ash nodded.

Misty suddenly embraced him, tears flowing down her cheeks. Ash hugged her back, the two of them locked together.

May watched with a smile. She was glad that this whole thing turned out alright. She was actually fine with Ash liking Misty. She wasn't sure if she truly loved Ash like Misty does anyways.

When Ash and Misty released each other, Ash turned to May and said, "Don't worry May. I love you too. Just more like a sister."

May giggled. "It must have been kind of weird having your sister kiss you like that."

"Yeah," Ash said with a chuckle.

"Anyways, it looks like your ferry's starting to let people on," May said, pointing at the ferry at a dock a little ways down.

"Yeah..." He looked back at the ferry and then back towards the girls, his eyes watering. "I'm going to miss you guys..."

"We'll miss you too Ash," Misty said. "Have fun in the Sinnoh Region."

"You know I will!" Ash said, winking at the two of them.

The three of them headed towards the ferry, and Ash got onboard, with Pikachu on his shoulder. As he was going on, an Aipom came running up onto the ship as well, leaping on Ash's shoulder and taking his hat. Aipom wanted to come along with him too. He just barely made it in time.

The ferry left, and Ash waved at the two girls down on the dock, and they waved back. They were smiling, knowing that their friendship would still exist, Misty in particular. She had all that tension released from her mind when she kissed Ash. She felt so much better now.

They watched as the ferry headed towards the Sinnoh Region, knowing that Ash had many more adventures ahead of them, and they would too.


End file.
